Local History Topics

Cheyenne Valley from the museum archives:

Was Cheyenne Valley part of the underground railroad?

Cheyenne Valley and the Town of Forest is in the Smithsonian!

From beginning life as a slave in Georgia to serving as a drummer for the Union Army in the Civil War, Samuel Arms was one of the first settlers of Cheyenne Valley.

An early settler of the Town of Union also started life in slavery. Ed Harris raises a lot of questions.

Cheyenne Valley and the Civil War
Part 1:
Town of Forest residents served in the Iron Brigade

Part 2:
Company F, 29^th Regiment, United States Colored Troups

One of Vernon County's most famous residents, Alga Shivers, is not only know for his round barns, but he also served in World War I.

Jefferson Craft came from slavery in Tennessee to live in Cheyenne Valley. He then moved his family to Viroqua where they were the only African American family living in town.

“You’ve got to be carefully taught” The not-so-nice history of racism in Vernon County.

What do the census records tell us about the residents of Cheyenne Valley?

Cheyenne Valley on the map.

Vernon County with Town borders.